On March
25th, 2017, the Connection Center Seventh-day Adventist Church in
Zimmerman, Minnesota celebrated a wondrous event. Three of its attendees made
their love for Jesus Christ and their devotion to follow Him public by being
baptized. Even though Linda Wermerskirchen, Jill Delaney, and Shirley Newport
have each had a unique journey lead them to this point in their respective spiritual
walks, they share a common thread—all three have been a part of the Connection
Center’s Skype ministry, which has spread to include callers from all over the
United States and the world.
A couple
years back, Pastor Gene Yocum reconnected with Mike Kimbler, a member who had
stopped attending several years earlier. Upon catching up, it had been
mentioned that Mike was part of a small Bible study and prayer group that met
on Skype. This small, eager-to-learn group asked whether Pastor Gene would like
to join in on the group and take them through a Daniel and Revelation study. He
obliged, and began the several-month-long study. Before too much time elapsed,
the three-night-per-week Skype sessions transformed into nightly calls at 7
o’clock.
Jill
Delaney has journeyed far in life (and not just from her home country of
Ireland). Although Jill had been living in New Jersey during the Daniel and Revelation
studies, she has since moved to Minnesota, and is now physically present each
and every Sabbath sharing her enthusiasm and bubbly spirit.
First baptized at the young age of
twelve, Linda Wermerskirchen rediscovered her youthful loyalty to God, which
brought her to rededicate her life to Christ four decades later. Despite living
approximately two hours north of the church, she makes her way south every
chance she gets. When commuting is not an option, Linda’s exuberant laughter and
joy are present on Skype with other members who either could not make the local
commute or don’t live in the state at all.
For
Shirley Newport, the Sabbath of March 25th carried extra
significance. She desired to be baptized that day because it is her birthday.
As she so eloquently stated, “I wanted the day of my birth to also be the day
of my rebirth, so that way I’ll never forget it.”
Nowadays, the group meets a little
less frequently on Skype. Currently, they have Prayer Meetings on Wednesday and
a Women’s Study call on Friday evenings, each taught by members who live in a different
state. And, of course, there are calls
on Sabbath for both Sabbath School and Church Worship Service. And even when there is a baptism at the local
community pool, the Connection Center finds a way to include its entire
extended church family.
Although
the world moves quickly, its inhabitants are not always able to match pace.
Therefore, it is paramount that the church body find ways to accommodate those
that may feel left behind or disconnected. If you may be unable to make your
local church service, or if you know of someone that might like to join more
weekly activities, keep in mind that whenever you feel inclined, there is an
interactive Skype call for you to join with the Connection Center. Just call Pastor Yocum at 763-370-0011, or
send a Skype contact request to ConnectionCenter777.
